Farmhouse renovation rules put on hold, environmental groups question whether legislators should be held responsible for mudslides on hillside land
News that the farmhouse regulation amendment would be postponed has emerged, and this morning several civil society groups brought rice cut from the fields and chanted "Farmland and farmhouses truly for farming, protect the fields, protect the water, protect food safety," demanding that the farmhouse regulation amendment be completed on schedule. Lu Yi-chi, a researcher at the Citizens of the Earth Foundation, pointed out that the hillside areas of Beipu in Hsinchu and the Qingjing Farm in Nantou are covered with fake farmhouses that are really bed-and-breakfasts, yet some legislators believe that building farmhouses on hillside land can develop tourism. He asked: "Once a mudslide happens, can these legislators take responsibility?"
The soil and water conservation problems of hillside farmhouses are serious (photo provided by the Citizens of the Earth Foundation)
Farmhouse wastewater has destroyed consumer confidence
Food safety problems have been serious in recent years. Lai Hsiao-fen, secretary-general of the Homemakers United Foundation Environmental Conservation Foundation, said that the source of imported agricultural products is hard to control, and consumers are gradually starting to eat locally and care about Taiwan's land, but fake farmhouses are being used as bed-and-breakfasts and restaurants, polluting nearby good farmland and destroying consumer confidence.
She gave an example: the foundation once took consumers to Yilan, but some consumers found that the drainage ditches in the farmland were all greasy, and instead distrusted farmers, which is a double harm to conscientious, dedicated farmers.
"No matter how much mobile data you eat, it still can't fill your stomach." Hsu Hsiu-chiao, chairwoman of the board of the Homemakers United Cooperative, said that the cooperative has 60,000 members, 90% of whom are homemakers, and everyone hopes the next generation can grow up safely. Farmhouses are destroying good farmland, so the law must be amended quickly.
Li Pao-lien, spokesperson for the Guard Yilan Workshop, said that the amendment is meant to stop fake farmhouses and let real farmers use farmland and farmhouses for farming, and she hopes the government will complete the amendment without fail by the end of June. For now, they will wait to see the government's response before deciding the next step.